Are You Ready to Become Agile?

Are you ready to become Agile? Agile has become increasingly preferred and adopted due to its advantages. However, for any organization to be successful in utilizing the agile methodology, the buy in and support has to be accepted and functionally adopted across the board within the organization. Let’s discuss…

When developing software products, there are a couple of methodologies that are primarily used. The two most popular methodologies used are waterfall and agile. Waterfall is a traditional, structured, sequential phased approach to develop software. This approach has been used for years. Each phase is fully documented and advancement to the next phase requires successful completion and approval of the previous phase.

Agile is an incremental, iterative approach managed via sprints to develop software at a faster, streamlined pace). The Agile methodology consists of collaboration, flexibility, and adaptability. The premise behind this methodology is that changes occur frequently, therefore, agile allows you to be nimble with adaptive planning and continuous improvement. The Agile methodology has been around for years but agile was fully birthed based on the Agile Manifesto in 2001.

The Advantages of the Agile Methodology:

Continuous engagement and interaction with customers and team

Daily collaboration with business and developers

Customer satisfaction due to continuously engagement with the customer

Agile teams are self-organized and motivated to successful delivery of software

Software is delivered frequently

Adaptability

Quality of the development is maintained

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a framework that facilitates team collaboration and develop software while utilizing the agile methodology. Scrum empowers the team members to become self-organizing and motivating as they deliver unpredictable and changing software. Scrum enables creativity and productivity to successfully deliver software products with the highest possible value. It is based on three pillars that should be the foundation for every implementation; transparency, inspection and adaptation. These pillars are built on scrum values that should be demonstrated among the scrum team. The values of commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect are upheld by the scrum team.

The scrum team consists of the following roles:

Product Owner – The person with the product vision (usually represents the Business)

Scrum Master – The expert on the Scrum Framework who guides the team and removes any impediments.

Development Team – Developers who execute the project while working together with autonomy, self-direction and unique skill sets per each development team member.

Why should you use the Agile Methodology?

Very limited planning is required to begin an Agile project. This methodology accounts for the ever-changing business and IT dynamics.

Agile provides freedom to change due to the incremental development.

Developers and Stakeholders gain more freedom of time and options than if the software was developed in a more rigid, sequential manner (Waterfall).

Are you ready to become Agile? If you are, then understand the methodology, gain leadership buy in, gain consensus among the impacted organizations, communicate and train on the process.